A Dish Best Served Cold
by Queen Kakia
Summary: When Tess gets angry, she gets vulnerable.
1. Default Chapter

"Thank you." Tess Evans stepped into her apartment building and smiled at the doorman. He was a nice guy. Someotimes a little too obvious about his evident crush on her, but a nice guy nonetheless.  
  
_Home, sweet home,_ she thought as she got into the elevator. Miami had been nice, but she was glad to be back in New York...the wonderful town that never slept.  
  
She stepped into the apartment. She _adored_ this apartment. It was modern and chic, and the high rent wasn't an issue. Not with Max getting paid hundreds of thousands as a doctor, and her making even slightly more as a lawyer.  
  
There were no dishes out on the table. Amazing. Max must have actually washed them after eating last night. The man was a miracle.  
  
Tess picked up her dropped suitcases and walked down the hall toward the bedroom. She opened the door and set down the bags on the red carpeted floor. She loved this carpet. Red had always been her favorite color, and having it all over the floor of her bedroom was bliss.  
  
She looked up to see Max's beautiful form. He gave out a small contented sigh, and rolled over.  
  
And she saw the woman next to him.  
  
"What the hell?!" she yelled, waking them up. Her brain started to buzz. No. No. No. This wasn't happening.  
  
Liz. It was Liz Parker. Max's old high school sweetheart. The girl for whom he'd laid his, his best friend's, and his sister's lives on the line in sophomore year. Liz who'd left Roswell right after graduation, giving them only a college name. Tess had allowed the heartbroken Max to cry on her shoulder for two years after that, despite the fact that she'd wanted to shake him up and kiss the shit out of him and make him forget the name Liz Parker. Finally, he'd opened his eyes and realized that Tess was there, and they'd been together ever since.  
  
Max sat up, protecting Liz, and the small brunette peeked out from behind him. "Tess!" he exclaimed, surprised.  
  
She would have laughed at the triteness, if it hadn't been happening to her. It was just like the movies. It was just like the fucking _movies_!  
  
Tess moved closer to the bed, threatening. "What the _fuck_ is she doing here, Max?"  
  
Having a sleepover. Liz Parker came over to the apartment for a fucking sleepover, right?  
  
Liz started getting dressed behind Max. He tried to cover her, but Tess could easily see the hickeys all over Liz's body. Max must have fucked the girl's brains out last night. Tess hoped they were sore as hell. She swore she would never let Max's mouth touch her again. Those filthy lips which whispered soft lies to Tess and then sucked the hell out of Liz Parker's breasts.  
  
Max spoke. "She--we--I love her, Tess. I can't lie. I love her with all my heart--more than I ever loved you."  
  
Fucking bastard. Fucking lying, cheating scum. She picked up his jaw--made him look her in the eye. Then she slapped him. Liz gasped.  
  
"Don't hurt him!" the little brown-haired Marcia Brady exclaimed.  
  
Tess scowled. "Get the fuck out of my apartment, Parker." Unless the girl wanted a handprint to match Max's on her cheek, or Tess wanted murder charges placed against herself, it was wise advice.  
  
Apparently, Liz didn't agree. "It's Max's," she stated simply.  
  
She was about two nudges away from snapping and murdering them both. "I pay half the rent." She turned to Max, a decision made. "I'm leaving. Fuck her again, for all I care. Tie her to the wall and bang her up. Enjoy the apartment while it's still half yours, Max. We're getting a divorce."  
  
"It's about time," Max retorted, pulling Liz close to him. "I've just about gotten fed up with your bitchiness and whining." Her blood boiled over as he kissed Liz softly. Fucking _bastard_. After all she'd done for him...  
  
She realized that anything she'd ever cared about in her life was a waste. Except her job. Her job, saving innocent people from harsh punishments. Too bad she wasn't a divorce lawyer--she'd rip Max from everything he owned, right down to his favorite pair of green socks.  
  
She walked out of the apartment, carefully closing the door behind her. No slamming--she didn't want to damage _her_ property.  
  
The elevator came too slowly, but it arrived. "Take me to Floor 11," she barked at Jean-Claude. His face was confused, but he didn't say anything. Everyone knew not to talk to Tess when she was angry, and she had never before been so upset.  
  
_Ding_. Tess walked out of the elevator and across the hall to 11C. She unlocked the doorand oushed it open.  
  
He was sitting at the table, eating a bagel. When she walked in, he looked up and grinned. "You could have knocked."  
  
She marched over and slapped him twice, once with each hand. It actually felt good. What kind of sick person was she? "Tell me you didn't know. Fucking _bastard_." Okay, so she was going insane. She'd earned it. He would forgive her.  
  
Michael Guerin looked at her quizzically, before rubbing his cheeks. "Ow. What happened?"  
  
She pointed up, towards her own apartment. "Swear to me that you didn't know that bastard was screwing Liz Parker."  
  
His mouth dropped. "Liz? As far as I knew, he hadn't seen her in years!"  
  
"Yeah, well, she's half-dressed and upstairs in _my_ bedroom, if you want a turn." She really shouldn't have been so harsh. He hadn't done anything wrong. Except being a member of the male species. And Max's best friend.  
  
To her shock, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She stepped back, a reflex she had built up over the years to anyone's touch. "What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Comforting a friend in pain?" he guessed, as if he were so sure it were the wrong answer.  
  
She laughed. She couldn't help it.  
  
"Um...comforting a friend in denial?" he guessed again.  
  
She kept laughing, for not other reason than to hold her out from crying for as long as possible. She couldn't stop--couldn't breathe, and finally, the tears came. Gushed.  
  
Michael embraced her again, and this time she leaned in to him. "I hate him," she sobbed, hiccuping through the words. She had never cried so fiercely. Never. Not even the night after Nasedo had raped her for the first time, a punishment for disbeying his orders. "He-he told me he loved her more than he ever loved me."  
  
He squeezed her tightly. "Well, Maxwell was always somewhat thick. Unable to recognize a good thing if it came up and bit him in the ass."  
  
She hiccuped again as a new batch of tears erupted. This was the sweetest man in the world. She'd definitely come to the right place. "I hate him. It hurts so much, Michael. It hurts so much!"  
  
He pulled her closer. "I know, Tess. It's going to be all right. I promise."  
  
TBC... 


	2. Default Chapter

"That _bastard_!" Kyle exclaimed over the phone. "I'll kill him!"  
  
It was nice to get support. Being in a family must have had some advantages, she'd always figured, otherwise, why did people do it? And here was her advantage.  
  
"Are you getting a divorce?" he asked. Support was good, yes, but was this overconcern? She didn't know--but then again, frankly, she didn't give a damn. Because she was loved, and she didn't need Max Evans to love her.  
  
"Of course," she told him. Like she'd react any differently. Like she'd forgive him. Liz would have, she was sure, but Liz was mentally unbalanced.  
  
"Listen, Tess, you want to hurt them--get Maria as your lawyer," he advised. Maria. Right. Her step-sister. The divorce lawyer. The Sheriff and Amy had been so proud of them...both lawyers.  
  
Liz's best friend, she realized with a cold jolt.  
  
"Would she do that?" Tess asked him, her voice full of doubt and almost cracking. Michael, from behind, squeezed her shoulders. God, she hated getting so much sympathy. Being looked at as so...helpless.  
  
"Of course she would," Kyle insisted. "She's your sister. And you were cheated on. She loves defending people who were cheated on."  
  
She felt a surge of evil satisfaction. It was wrong, but then--was Max screwing Liz in _her_ bed right? An eye for an eye, right?  
  
"I'm driving up," Kyle informed her. All the way from Delaware? She didn't protest. Why should she--he wouldn't listen and she didn't want her to. "Call Maria. Where are you--Michael's place?"  
  
"Yeah." Nothing more than that. There was nothing more to say. "I'll see you." And just to be selfish, "Hurry."  
  
They hung up, and she turned to Michael. "He's coming. Do you have room for him, or should he stay with Maria?" Who lived across town, in a brownstone in the village. Her husband, Andrew, was a flithy rich brain surgeon.  
  
"We have enough room, if he doesn't mind the couch," Michael replied. Right, because this was a two-bedroom. And Tess was staying there until she could legally kick Max out of their place.  
  
"He said I should get Maria as my lawyer. Do you think she would, Michael?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know...you can never tell with Maria." And he, having been her boyfriend all throughout high school, would know. "She'll be conflicted, yeah. But you have a good chance."  
  
Suddenly, it hit her. No, it wasn't such a great, big, surprise thing. But it would hurt them in the worst way possible. Yeah, she would feel bad for using everyone. But she wouldn't be causing anyone harm...anyone who didn't deserve it, anyway.  
  
"Okay. Thanks." She hugged him, then picked up the phone again.  
  
"Maria?" 


	3. Default Chapter

TITLE: A Dish Best Served Cold  
AUTHOR: Kakia  
RATING: R  
SUMMARY: When Tess gets angry, she gets vulnerable.  
DISCLAIMER: Not mine.  
DEDICATION: To all those dreamers who write those Happily-Ever-AFter stories about how Max and Tess are married and Max and Liz sleep together, without a glance of thought to how Tess feels.  
  
The phone rang in Max's apartment. He unburied his face from Liz's hair and rolled over to pick it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Max!" exclaimed a voice. It was Isabel, Dear Sister Isabel who never, ever called him. _She knows_. No, but she didn't sound mad enough to know. Or maybe she was taking his side. He _was_, after all, her brother. "Alex and I are in town...we just flew in last night. Vacation, you know?" Hmmm. And would that be the middle-of-the-week vacation that was so famous?  
  
"Hmmmm," he mumbled. Liz stirred beside him. "How are you two?"  
  
"Just fine." Oh, she knew. Her voice was much too cheery not to be putting him on. "And how are you and Liz? Asshole."  
  
So she did know. "Listen, Iz, I know you don't understand, but I love Liz. I really do."  
  
"Oh, I bet you do." Whatever _that_ meant. "Hey, Max, turn on your radio. Z100." She hung up.  
  
He'd never listened to the station before. It had always seemed phony and fluctous--playing whatever everyone else liked. But he turned it on, forgetting that Liz was still asleep.  
  
"-a special dedication of 'Another Dumb Blonde' by Hoku, from Tess Evans to Dr. Max Evans," one of the DJs said. Dedication. What the hell? What was that song? He'd never heard it.  
  
"Sounds like _somebody's_ mad," another one replied. Oh. The DJ laughed as the music started.  
  
Ouch. She _was_ mad. Or maybe she wasn't--it was hard to tell. He wondered what he thought about it. It wasn't that he had wanted to hurt her, really, but this was the easiest thing to do. And Tess was strong--she would survive.  
  
_That's all right, that's okay, I never loved you anyway  
That's all right, that's okay, you never loved me anyway_  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
"Hello, this is 95.5 PLJ. Would you like to dedicate a song?"  
  
"Yes. I would like to dedicate 'You Outta Know' by Alanis Morisette to Dr. Max Evans from Tess Evans."  
  
_'Cause the love that you gave that we made  
Wasn't able to make it enough for you to be open wide  
And every time you speak her name  
Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you died  
Until you died, but you're still alive_  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
"This is 103.5, KTU, and we have a dedication here from Blaque's 'As If' from Tess Evans to Dr. Max Evans. Maxie, watch out for your woman!"  
  
"What did you _do_, kid?" George asked. George was one of the senior doctors in the office, and had taken Max under his wing the day Max had arrived. "Tess must be really mad. I heard another of those dedications on Q104 while driving in." George drove to work every day. It was slightly bizarre, but the man was attached to his Mercedes, Which was also slightly bizarre, if you thought about it.  
  
"Oh, we're just having a little...argument," Max lied. Maybe Tess liked to make their marriage issues public, but he wasn't that cheap. "She's sort of worked up right now."  
  
_As if  
I'm ever gonna take you back  
As if  
It's ever gonna come to that  
_  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
Tess was giddy as she walked into Michael's apartment. Everyone at the firm had heard at least one of her dedications, and she had made about ten friends today. Her boss had been extremely impressed, and her colleagues, envious. Nobody had shown any sympathy, of course--but what did she expect, working in a firm full of lawyers?  
  
"Kyle!" she squealed. He was there! Sitting at the table, talking to Michael. And Maria, who'd reculantly accepted to be her attorney.  
  
"Tessie!" he replied, standing up to let her hug him. "Are you all right? Did that asshole hurt you?"  
  
She knew there was a reason she'd missed him. For someone who had never been a brother before she'd come along, he was doing a pretty good job now.  
  
"I'm fine," she replied. Well, she was fine now. Thanks to the pint of coffee ice cream Michael had force-fed her last night and the day at work.  
  
Coffee ice cream. Her favorite. She bet Max didn't know that.  
  
She looked hesitantly at Maria, who looked miserable. Poor girl. She had to choose between her best friend and her step-sister...and she had chosen to go against her best friend of almost 20 years.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ria," she said softly.  
  
Maria looked up. "Sorry? You didn't do anything."  
  
There was a knock on the door, and they all looked at each other. It could have been Alex and Isabel...  
  
Michael rose and walked over to the door, Tess on his heels. He opened it, and she was shocked to see _them_. The Jerk and The Robot. Great. Just the two people she ever wanted to see again in her life.  
  
"You're not welcome here," Michael told them coldly, and her heart leaped. Her heart leaped--what was it thinking? What the hell right did her heart have to go off and do whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted?  
  
Max ignored him, and looked inside the apartment. "Is there some kind of party here?" Bastard.  
  
"Yes, an Anti-Max-And-Liz party," he retorted. The angel. "So please, be on your way."  
  
"Maria?" Liz asked in her new breathy voice. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm showing support for my sister," Maria replied, obviously trying to destroy any remnants of emotion left in her. Tess' heart, if not broken already, broke for Maria.  
  
"But-but me?" Liz's eyes were wide as little brown pellets.  
  
"What about you?" Maria challenged. "You're not a part of my life anymore."  
  
"And Tess is?" Liz demanded. "Why? You used to hate Tess! Remember when she kissed Max, that time in 10th grade? You never let up on her for that!"  
  
Maria glared at her. "That's right. And if I got that mad when a near-stranger _kissed_ my best friend's boyfriend, imagine what I felt when I found out a near-stranger had fucked my sister's husband."  
  
If Tess' heart had leaped when Michael had jumped to her defense, it was doing cartwheels and flips now. Who would have guessed that loyalty would feel so good?  
  
Liz's bottom lip shook. Just slightly, so that it was barely noticeable. But it was there. "Stranger? You consider me a stranger, Maria? I'm your best friend!"  
  
"You're not my best friend," Maria replied harshly. "I haven't seen you in eight years--our paths have grown apart. Did you know that I'm married, Liz? My husband's name is Andrew Greene and we live in a beautiful brownstone in the village. I'm a divorce attorney, and I'm _Tess'_ divorce attorney. Do you know why, Liz? Because _she's_ my best friend. Not you. _Did you know that nobody had called me Maria in five years?_"  
  
Liz looked taken aback, and Tess wasn't sure whether to cry from happiness or laugh at the expression on her rival's face.  
  
"Liz who was my best friend is not the girl standing in front of me," Maria continued. "The Liz I knew would never have slept with a married man, no matter how romantic he was and no matter how much she hated his wife. For that matter, the Liz I knew wouldn't disappear for eight years and then be surprised when the hole she'd created closed up. It's the natural order of things, Liz. We got over you. Now get over us and leave." 


End file.
